Spicy Sauce-Cured Duck

酱板鸭

Spicy Sauce-Cured Duck — a Hunan Chinese recipe made with whole duck, ready in about 180 minutes. Step-by-step instructions with photos.

Ingredients

• whole duck (3–3.5 kg), cleaned, cavity dried
• fermented soybean paste (doubanjiang), coarse-ground
• light soy sauce
• Shaoxing wine
• five-spice powder
• white pepper, freshly ground

Instructions

1. Rinse duck inside/out. Pat *extremely* dry with paper towels — especially cavity and wing joints. Let air-dry uncovered on wire rack 1 hour at room temp.
2. Mix doubanjiang, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, five-spice, and white pepper into smooth paste. Rub *all* surfaces — inside cavity, under wings, between legs — massaging 3 minutes. (Paste adheres evenly; no streaks or bare spots remain)
3. Place duck breast-up in non-reactive container. Cover tightly. Refrigerate 48 hours, turning once at 24 hours.
4. Remove duck from fridge. Rinse off excess paste under cool water. Pat *very* dry. Hang or lay on wire rack in cool, dry, ventilated space (e.g., garage or pantry) for 48 hours.
5. Steam duck over boiling water in covered wok or steamer 60 minutes. Check internal temp: thickest part must reach 74°C (165°F). Cool completely before slicing.
6. Slice thinly against grain. Arrange on platter. Serve at room temperature with steamed rice and pickled mustard greens.